An Obsession with All Things Handmade and Home-Cooked

TGIF – Thank God It’s Fauschnaut Day

Or more accurately, Thank God It’s the Friday after Fauschnaut Day. As per usual, I’m a day (or three) late and a recipe short. Though the “official” Fauschnaut itself is essentially a potato-based donut served dripping with a sticky, dark corn syrup, or showered in cinnamon sugar, in the free-wheeling spirit of Fat Tuesday, I figured that a slight deviation from tradition might be acceptable. Especially when the results are so delicious, and much less greasy, who could argue otherwise? Sure, the parties and celebrations may be long over, but considering that fact that these donuts are actually baked and not fried, they’re not such a sinful option even as we enter the more austere days of lent.

Originally destined for the pages of Vegan Desserts, but bumped in the final revision not out of distaste, but in favor of a more decadent, over-the-top rendition, these are more suitable treats for the everyday sort of indulgence.

If you don’t have a donut pan kicking around in your kitchen, you can also bake off the batter in a mini muffin pan to make something more akin to donut holes.

Bring together the dry ingredients in one bowl to start, combining the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set this bowl aside.

In a separate bowl, stir up the wet ingredients; the sugar, apple butter, maple syrup, apple cider, yogurt, oil, and vinegar. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and stir just to combine. Spoon the batter into your prepared donut pan, filling the indentations half-way to the top. Pop them into the oven and bake for 10 – 14 minutes, until the tops spring back when lightly touched.

While the donuts are baking, prepare the glaze by whisking together all of the ingredients in a shallow bowl.

Once baked, turn the donuts out onto a wire rack and let them sit for a minute or two, until they’re cool enough to handle but still hot. Dip them into the glaze and let them completely finish cooling. If you want a thicker layer of glaze, either dip them a second time after the first coat has dried a bit, or wait for the donuts to cool completely before dipping.

28 thoughts on “TGIF – Thank God It’s Fauschnaut Day”

What a funny name Fauschnaut is!I never heard it before. It’s also funny that doughnuts are called fastnachts and are made with potatoes. Interesting how recipes travel and evolve.
I am also glad Fastnacht/carnival season is finally over. On Monday and Tuesday every single bakery sold their doughnuts on the streets. Doughnut smell everywhere. I wish they had used your vegan and baked recipe.

Your post title made me laugh out loud. So clever. I have never heard of Fauschnaut but I love saying the word already. These look wonderful, and I think they’d also be great for Hanukkah, when Jews traditionally eat donuts. Love that they’re not fried!!
— Rivki @ Healthy Eating for Ordinary People

These donuts sound wonderful! It’s hard for me to pass up anything involving apple cider. I’ve seen donuts all over the blogosphere recently and it has really gotten me craving them. I just don’t have a donut pan!

Having never heard of that particualr F-word before, I must say I still think yours sounds better :P Not so much because of the oil/grase factor, but because the original sounds insanely tooth-searingly sweet!

^^^stevie — you can get them at crate and barrel.. maybe even bed bath and beyond. that kind of place

i made these last night and they are awesome! i used half wheat/half white flour and LOVED them. my bf said they were a bit denser than what he was used to at the farmers market though. did a double dip of icing. going to make another full batch tomorrow…………

Hi again Hannah,
I wanna make these especially after making a trip to the local apple orchards. I have a 1/2-gallon jug of fresh apple cider sitting in my fridge. Can these be FRIED instead? I do not have a donut pan and above all, I & my son love fried ones to the baked version.

I’m afraid the batter is a bit too loose to be fried in a traditional ring shape, but you may still be able to fry them as drop donuts, or donut “holes.” Just remove the oil from the batter, heat 2 – 3 inches of neutral oil (such as canola) in a high-sided pan to about 375 degrees, and use a small cookie scoop or two soup spoons to drop small balls of dough into the hot oil. Cook for 4 – 8 minutes, turning as needed to ensure that all sides brown evenly. Remove with a wire spider and drain thoroughly on paper towels. Fry only 4 – 5 at once, depending on the size of the pan, and keep a close eye on the oil temperature to make sure it doesn’t drop. Repeat with the remaining batter until finished. Enjoy, and let me know how it goes!